Forged in Ice (Doctor Who AU Novel)

Chapter 26 Shopping and Aliens

Unable to get comfortable, Nora scrunched around in bed, raising and lowering the head of the bed, trying in vain to relieve the tiredness in her lower back. She glanced at the monitor printout, grateful for the persistent flat line. That steady line proved  the ache was not pregnancy-related, but just a muscle in need of Daniel's magical fingers. The babies were busy wiggling and turning, playing havoc with her need to visit the loo -- except she wasn't allowed to so much as put her feet on the ground and that <i>thing</i> was miserably uncomfortable. The remains of an evening snack and tea remained on the tray table, waiting for someone to come take it away. She hated an untidy hospital room.

Eight hours stuck in this room and she was already getting cabin fever. Not even the telly or Graham North provided more than a moment of distraction. Two - three more days of this and she would go doolally. At least when they were snowed in with Daniel, she could get up and move around, make decisions about his care, even work a little on her laptop to keep the business going, but this ... this was boring. 

The clock ticked past eight, filling her with worry that Daniel had lied during one of the several calls she made to check their progress and that something had gone wrong. The ache in her back grew worse with the new position, forcing her to lower the bed down. She ghosted her thumb over the call light wondering how long it would take for someone to come if she pushed the button.  Instead, she tossed the call light over the rail, shifted in the bed with a deep, pained sigh, and stared at the door, willing her mum to walk back in. She could help her with the thing and, hopefully,  get news she'd waited all afternoon for. Daniel had never driven this far before the accident, let alone now.

She shifted again, The urgency to use the loo grew to an immediate need, forcing her to consider breaking the rule. Fear kept her honest. Given no other choice, Nora sighed again and punched the button.

"I just need to use the thing,," she called when the door opened.

"Well then, Mrs Barrow, I should just pop back out and get someone 'cos I don't do the thing anymore. Did my bit with them."

"Daniel," she squealed.

"Hi, Mum," Robbie squealed. "I'm an index finger."

"Really?" She held her arms out, pulling him into her arms as soon as he was next to her. "I was getting worried," she said. 

"Actually, we got here a half hour ago. Ran into your mum. She took us across to see the flat. It's nice, three bedrooms ... Well, Robbie's is more like a cupboard, but it has a bed and a bookcase for his toys; it's nice. The best part is we can ring the hospital straight through if we need anything, and there is a walkway over the street, so you won't be exposed to the elements. Management wasn't particularly happy about Finn, but I took care of that. Told him that he was a necessity. And Mrs Barrow, I -- talked to David. He said they had to start a continuous drip to stop your labour. You didn't tell me that."

"You would have just worried." She lifted her face to get kissed. 

"My job is to worry about you. Now, I am taking this one across the way to get him to bed and then I'll be back. Maybe I can snag a cot."

"Dad has a secret, Mum," Robbie said, grinning at Daniel.

"No, I don't," Daniel replied, lifting him from the bed, then kissed Nora's tummy ignoring Robbie's Ewww. He lingered over the spot, briefly furrowing his eyebrows before quickly kissing her belly again. He looked back at her, smiling. "I'll be back in a half an hour, tops."

Nora pulled a face. She hadn't missed that hint of a gold flash return to his eyes. It was something that had gone missing after the accident, something that usually flared only when he was angry. She couldn't imagine why he'd be angry and that ticked up her own worry.  "What was that look?"